Toronto-based Stial Technologies Inc. last week said it has acquired STFcore, or ZhongQing Technology, a 6D force sensor company. It also introduced Stial Steven, its first humanoid robot specifically designed for polishing applications.
Stial manufactures polishing robots using artificial intelligence and following a research-and-development principle of anthropomorphism. The company said its NextBrain AI autonomously learns product details and polishing processes, integrating force, touch, vision, and hearing for intelligent polishing.
It added that this initiative demonstrates not only Stial’s commitment to intelligent polishing technology but also its dual integration of industrial and humanoid robots. The company said the new system represents an advance in embodied intelligence toward a higher level of autonomous adaptability.
Stial said it has developed flexible force-control systems, AI multimodal perception technology, and polishing algorithms. The system uses a variety of sensors to accurately close the loop on the polishing process.
The company said it focuses on polishing, integrating hardware, software, algorithms, and process expertise. It serves customers in high-precision industries such as automotive manufacturing, aerospace, and semiconductor electronics.
Stial added that it has made significant progress in humanoid embodied intelligence and AI vertical models, further enhancing robotic applications in complex scenarios.
STFcore: An innovator in 6D force sensor technology
Founded in 2018, STFcore has developed high-performance 6D force sensor technology suitable for humanoid and polishing robots that require high-precision force feedback. Compared with industry giants such as Germany’s ME System and the U.S.-based ATI, STFcore asserted that its sensors have been able to break the foreign technology monopoly, filling a gap in the high-end force sensor market in Asia.
Through the union of the companies, STFcore’s 6D force sensors will play a critical role in improving operational precision and adaptive control for Stial robots. These sensors monitor the contact force between the robot and the workpiece in real time, feeding data into Stial’s proprietary NextBrain AI. This enables the robot to dynamically adjust polishing pressure, direction, and angle, achieving proactive flexible control.
Stial claimed that 6D force sensors are a fundamental component for its roadmap of embodied intelligence in humanoid robots. With a mobile platform, the polishing robot could relocate anywhere in the facility and perform polishing operations during a manufacturing process.
Stial Steven: A new polishing humanoid platform
Stial Steven can dynamically adjust force, angles, and trajectories in real-time during polishing tasks. | Credit: Stial Steven
The Stial Steven is humanoid robot designed for polishing applications. Unlike traditional industrial robotic arms, Stial said Steven is designed to move in a similar way to humans, providing superior flexibility and adaptability. This makes it particularly suitable for fine polishing in constrained spaces and on complex workpieces, noted the company.
Equipped with Stial’s proprietary process database; 6D force sensors; and a multimodal AI model integrating vision, haptics, and auditory perception, Stial Steven can dynamically adjust force, angles, and trajectories in real time during polishing tasks.
The new robot is able to handle intricate polishing operations that traditional robots struggle with, Stial said. Whether working on complex curved surfaces or performing precision polishing on small components, Stial Steven can achieve a level of detail comparable to human workmanship while operating continuously, boosting productivity and competitiveness for enterprises, noted the company.
“Looking ahead, we will continue to advance AI and robotics, reshaping industrial production as a vertical ecosystem builder and leveraging internationalization to create a new paradigm in global intelligent manufacturing,” stated Hongbo Wang, founder and CEO of Stial:
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